Madeline Young
Finding calm in minimal clean, soothing compositions and the seasonal colour palette of Orange, NSW, artist Madeline Young presents her creative explorations in two upcoming shows.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson | Photography: Monique Lovick & Emily Eckhard
‘My colour palette is always influenced by my emotions and, most of all, the seasons,’ says Madeline Young. Photo: Monique Lovick
‘The aim was to create a clean, minimal aesthetic with these paintings, which are inspired by the very straight lines of that environment,’ says Madeline Young. Photo: Emily Eckhard
Regional artist Madeline Young captures nature's evocative movement and growth in her latest artwork series. Balancing on the boundaries between realism and abstract, they invite the viewer to look closer at the colour and application as extensions of the natural environment.
Based in Orange, NSW, Madeline is surrounded by an ever-inspiring landscape that has been her source of solace since she was a little girl. However, in her new works, she embraces autumnal colour palettes from outside of her hometown with alternating tonal schemes for the two shows.
‘The works heading to Weswal in Tamworth are deep earthy greens and warm browns, and the paintings for Sydney Road Gallery are warm pinks, yellows and browns,’ the artist reveals. ‘I always feel quite euphoric in autumn; Orange has the most beautiful autumn, and the skies are perfectly picturesque, creating a lovely atmosphere.’
These deep olive greens, warm browns and pops of pink offer a soothing and satisfying aesthetic, the clean straight lines and bold colour blocks providing respite from a challenging year of bushfires, drought, floods, and pandemic. ‘I need a little calm in my life right now, so that’s probably the reason I’ve gone for minimal, calm compositions,’ Madeline adds. ‘Colour and composition were the main focus in this series; my main rule is ‘pink goes with everything’, and I can’t complete anything without pink.’
Somewhere South of Here 3 by Madeline Young. Photo: Madeline Young.
‘I love using oil paints because of their rich colour. My brush strokes are deliberately directional adding texture and a subtle depth to the piece,’ says Madeline Young. Photo: Monique Lovick
“The aim was to create a clean, minimal aesthetic with these paintings, which are inspired by the very straight lines of that environment.”
‘I think all artists are inspired and influenced by the work around them, whether it be in person or online,’ says Madeline Young. Photo: Monique Lovick
Following on from these clean compositions and delving deep into her seasonal and moody oeuvre, Madeline reveals her practice heavily draws on her process. Spending time in environments to seek out the natural patterns of trees, plants, and landscapes, the artist first captures these on camera before playing around with perspective and scale.
‘This series is based on the landscape of Mimosa Rocks National Park on the far South Coast of NSW. I spent some time there over the summer and fell in love with the ridiculously straight, dense eucalyptus trees—I kept pulling the car over and taking lots of photos,’ she remembers. ‘When the trees are so dense, they don’t have time to wiggle around and tend to grow straight up toward the light.’
Drawing directly onto canvas, Madeline experiments with coloured pencils, choosing the right tones. A special primer imparts a rough, chalky finish to the canvas, on which the artist then applies rich, textural oil paints. ‘My brush strokes are deliberately directional adding texture and a subtle depth to the piece.’ Akin to the depth found in nature.
Following her two upcoming shows, the artist hopes to venture towards a new style, embarking on novel adventures, both in life and the studio.
Madeline’s upcoming exhibitions will be at Weswal, Tamworth: 24th June to 25th July and Sydney Road Gallery, Sydney: 17th June to 4th July.
The Shadows Glow 2 by Madeline Young. Photo: Madeline Young
The Shadows Glow 1 by Madeline Young. Photo: Madeline Young